Lovecraft Country (1 Viewer)

[Hollywoodaholic]

Is anyone else watching this? It's no Watchmen, but it is HBO's flagship position show on Sunday at 9 right now with top budget and production values, so attention is warranted.

So far, my reaction is WTF?! It jumps from one genre to another. Within the pilot episode it jumped from a racial study ala Green Book to a monster horror movie. I was even suspecting the title word "Lovecraft" was just a euphemism for "racist" since the author could be considered such. H.P. Lovecraft was among my childhood fan reading, though I wish you could combine his creepy mythological style with Stephen King's more clear sense of narrative to get a more perfect horror writer. I don't know why they even name the series after him, so far, other than some creature descriptions, references (Necronomicon), and imagery. Maybe it will all make more sense going forward.

It's also becoming more obvious the series is really an anthology, with the main characters the only throughline. Each episode appears to be formed around it's own concept or setting. There's also a weird mash up of contemporary and historic music recordings to further confuse the approach. The Jefferson's theme?! Gil Scott-Heron's "Whitey's On the Moon?" I'm old enough to remember that playing in response to the moon landing in 1969 (technology and money can send us to the moon but the black experience was still struggling).

I tried to read a recap of the second episode on the A.V. Club and it's even more confusing than trying to keep up with what's happening in the series. I'll stick it out to see where it's going, but if they want us to care, I'll need a more coherent narrative. And, Eureka!, that's the same problem I had with reading Lovecraft!

 

[Greg.K]

So far I really love the show. I think it's making the point that the racism encountered in the time was as scary or scarier than the Lovecraftian horrors - and in fact in the first episode it was almost a relief when the monsters show up because of the tension of the previous scene.

I was pretty shocked that the 2nd episode ended the way it did. I expected

Spoiler

the mansion to be the setting for most of the season, turns out that was, um, not quite correct. But cool that I have no idea where they go from here.

 

[Sam Posten]

I am a huge fan of Lovecraft and love everything about this. The nuanced take about recognizing flawed creators and still being able to appreciate their art hits me right in the gut. I abhor HPLs racism and can still appreciate his verbose descriptions and the fundamental nihilism of cosmic horror.

That this series is amping up HBOs assault against racism using strongly defined, complex, people of color is fan tas tic.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

I also love the shoutout to Algernon Blackwood, another early favorite. And let's not forget August Derleth, who was actually allowed to finish or continue some Lovecraft originals, or Robert Bloch, who did some similar short stories, one being a parody I remember.

Yes, I thought the ...

Spoiler

mansion

... was going to be around for the entire series. That's an elaborate collection of sets to use for one episode. And it looks like the next episode takes place in a more typical 50s suburb.

Is this series based on a book or series of book as I have seen reference to elsewhere?

 

[jayembee]

Is anyone else watching this? It's no Watchmen, but it is HBO's flagship position show on Sunday at 9 right now with top budget and production values, so attention is warranted.

So far, my reaction is WTF?! It jumps from one genre to another. Within the pilot episode it jumped from a racial study ala Green Book to a monster horror movie. I was even suspecting the title word "Lovecraft" was just a euphemism for "racist" since the author could be considered such. H.P. Lovecraft was among my childhood fan reading, though I wish you could combine his creepy mythological style with Stephen King's more clear sense of narrative to get a more perfect horror writer. I don't know why they even name the series after him, so far, other than some creature descriptions, references (Necronomicon), and imagery. Maybe it will all make more sense going forward.

It's also becoming more obvious the series is really an anthology, with the main characters the only throughline. Each episode appears to be formed around it's own concept or setting. There's also a weird mash up of contemporary and historic music recordings to further confuse the approach. The Jefferson's theme?! Gil Scott-Heron's "Whitey's On the Moon?" I'm old enough to remember that playing in response to the moon landing in 1969 (technology and money can send us to the moon but the black experience was still struggling).

Is this series based on a book or series of book as I have seen reference to elsewhere?

The series is an adaptation of a novel by Matt Ruff. I haven't read the novel (nor any of Ruff's other work), but from reading up on it, the "novel" is more of a series of interconnected stories that all revolve around the same basic idea of Lovecraftian horror as a metaphor for racism.

 

[Sam Posten]

See on Amazon

 

[Sam Posten]

My post won't show at all if you are running uBlock Origin bTw

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

My post won't show at all if you are running uBlock Origin bTw

Well that explains that (I see nothing).

I'll add a proposed logo graphic I 'created/combined' for Arkham House, a company an attorney friend represented to find film and television homes for Lovecraft rights' holders. I don't think this series was one of their projects, or they ever used the graphic. Perhaps they were worried about a Van Gogh lawsuit.

 

[whyme?]

Sure I've been watching it for two Sundays on H.B.O and I love it. Combines that show the bad old days of segregation, before Martin Luther peace movement, combine horror base on H.p. Lovecraft novels, which unfortunately a bunch of devil worshippers has turned his ideas to part of their beliefs in the devil. I love the stars.That man who looks for his father, he so handsome with his uncle and his childhood women friend ends up in a strange white supremacist place after being chased by the racist sheriff.It has a monster galore.In the end on the second episode the blonde Arian leader unfortunately kills his uncle,while the rest escaped that horror place thank to the spirit of the young mans great-great grandmother.I'm looking forward to part 3.

 

[CRW]

Is anyone else watching this? It's no Watchmen, but it is HBO's flagship position show on Sunday at 9 right now with top budget and production values, so attention is warranted.

So far, my reaction is WTF?! It jumps from one genre to another. Within the pilot episode it jumped from a racial study ala Green Book to a monster horror movie. I was even suspecting the title word "Lovecraft" was just a euphemism for "racist" since the author could be considered such. H.P. Lovecraft was among my childhood fan reading, though I wish you could combine his creepy mythological style with Stephen King's more clear sense of narrative to get a more perfect horror writer. I don't know why they even name the series after him, so far, other than some creature descriptions, references (Necronomicon), and imagery. Maybe it will all make more sense going forward.

It's also becoming more obvious the series is really an anthology, with the main characters the only throughline. Each episode appears to be formed around it's own concept or setting. There's also a weird mash up of contemporary and historic music recordings to further confuse the approach. The Jefferson's theme?! Gil Scott-Heron's "Whitey's On the Moon?" I'm old enough to remember that playing in response to the moon landing in 1969 (technology and money can send us to the moon but the black experience was still struggling).

I tried to read a recap of the second episode on the A.V. Club and it's even more confusing than trying to keep up with what's happening in the series. I'll stick it out to see where it's going, but if they want us to care, I'll need a more coherent narrative. And, Eureka!, that's the same problem I had with reading Lovecraft!

I've read the novel and it's a collection of novellas each featuring a different character. The first two episodes are based on the novel's first chapter with Atticus as the lead. (So far the adaptation has been pretty faithful with some changes the most significant being the gender swap of Caleb Braithwhite to Christina Braithwhite (Abbey Lee) and the inclusion of more monsters than in the book. The third episode is based on the chapter of what happens when Leti buys a house in a white neighborhood. And there's no scene of Jackie Robinson cleaving Cthulu in half with a baseball bat, more's the pity.). Like the series Atticus makes the point that you love a story even if it is written by a racist. You like the writing in spite of the writer and Atticus likes the works of Burroughs and HPL. Uncle George questions that admiration by referencing Lovecraft's poem "On The Creation of *insert the n-word* which is a real thing.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Thanks, Chris, that explains the anthology nature of the series.

If we threw out all the artists depending on their specific beliefs, actions or prejudices, it would really thin the herd. But I guess that's what 'cancel culture' is about. Still, I haven't rewatched my I Spy series set again for some reason. That's when things get tricky, when something revealed in the present shades your viewing of something you always enjoyed in the past.

 

[Sam Posten]

Powerhouse acting performance by Jurnee Smollett last night.

Btw if, like me, you kept saying to yourself “where do I know that name from”....

Jussie Smollett's sister Jurnee breaks silence on his alleged attack: 'It's been f---ing painful'

Jurnee Smollett has spoken out for the first time about the scandal surrounding her brother Jussie Smollett.

ew.com

 

[CRW]

Powerhouse acting performance by Jurnee Smollett last night.

Btw if, like me, you kept saying to yourself “where do I know that name from”....

Jussie Smollett's sister Jurnee breaks silence on his alleged attack: 'It's been f---ing painful'

Jurnee Smollett has spoken out for the first time about the scandal surrounding her brother Jussie Smollett.

ew.com

Ms. Smollett was also the Black Canary in the recent "Harley Quinn" movie. This chapter deviated more from the original source material than the first two episodes, but the changes are for the better. Also the show writers are weaving a more overarching "Big Bad" than in the book.

 

[Greg.K]

Was Emmitt Till Featured in 'Lovecraft Country' Episode 3?

 

[CRW]

No, not that I recall. James Baldwin was name checked and briefly shown and the incident - around which this episode revolves - of eight missing African Americans was a true event.

 

[Greg.K]

The Emmett Till reference was the boy asking the ouija board if he'll have a good time on his trip. (They called him Bobo, which was Till's real life nickname).

 

[CRW]

Nice catch.

 

[Sam Posten]

I was confused why they never finished that story line with something happening to the boy. That explanation makes much more sense and is chilling.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

I'm catching up slowly on the DVR. I watched the haunted house episode, which was a complete story within itself, so seemingly disconnected from the mythology arc started (which I assume will resume). Some good creepy moments, though you wonder if the ghosts were a scarier threat, or the white guys with crew cuts and bats. I guess that's the point. There was definitely a palpable fear emanating from the hostility within that neighborhood. Powerful metaphor to also equate it with a haunting.

 

[Josh Dial]

There was definitely a palpable fear emanating from the hostility within that neighborhood. Powerful metaphor to also equate it with a haunting.

Additionally, Leti gave the dead power by saying their names.

The most recent episode was a total 10/10 out for me. A nice blend of Indiana Jones, The Goonies, and National Treasure. The score was phenomenal. I also liked the subtle indictment of museums with the one in the show being literally built on top of the relics of another culture.